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What It's Like To Play

Presentation

Crew commentary

Alongside the realistic weather, accurate damage and complete set of customisation options, developer Sumo Digital has added yet another level of reality to the racing experience by removing the commentary synonymous with commentators on the TV and replacing it with that of the pit crew. What that means is you get to blaze around each of the tracks with your crew chattering in your ear, making for an entirely different kind of racing experience.

Once you've mastered Career Mode and conquered every other racer on the track, the next step is to take on Challenge Mode, a sumptuously presented series of tasks (71 in total) that require you to push yourself to the max. Here, you'll have to clear waves of checkpoints in the quickest time possible, conquer corners with skill, overtake an allotted number of cars in a given time, claim the fastest lap or simply win a race.

Suffice to say there are a huge number of challenges dotted throughout the mode that will keep even the most hardened Formula 1 fans coming back for more in an attempt to better their abilities, scores and racing times.

Characters

The ultimate F1 experience

F1 2009 on PSP is the first in a new generation of Formula One games featuring Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel and all the official drivers, teams and circuits from the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship series.

Brand new aerodynamic regulations, the return of slick tyres and the introduction of KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) made 2009 one of the most exciting seasons to date and F1 2009 is every bit as thrilling. This latest iteration in the hugely addictive racing simulator includes a fully licensed, authentic and challenging Formula One experience that gets you as close as possible to the most spectacular motorsport on the planet.

Racers, rev your engines!

Gameplay

Familiar faces, new tracks

F1 2009 is crammed with everything a Formula 1 fan could want. Aside from all the superstar racers, the game pits your driving skills against all 17 tracks that make up the Championship including Hermann Tilke's Abu Dhabi circuit and the spectacular Brawn GP001, which separates the boy racers from the Formula 1 legends.

It's here that your abilities behind the wheel of some of the fastest cars on the planet will be stretched to the limit. One of the biggest and most intriguing additions to F1 2009 is the Kinetic Energy Recovery System, a power-up of sorts that stores the force dispelled when braking, and can later be used as a boost for a short period of time, allowing you to overtake opponents on tight corners or on the final straight in a dash for the finishing line.

There are a number of game modes available to you including Quick Race, Time Trial, Grand Prix Weekend, Championship, Career and Challenge. The races you'll spend most of your time in will be both Career and Challenge because they provide the bulk of F1 2009's content. In Career, the game's main mode, you'll have to race for a team over the course of three years while working your way up the Formula 1 hierarchy and (should you succeed) claiming the top spot.

Multiplayer

Race off

Think you've mastered the art of F1 racing? Completed all the tasks in Challenge Mode and stood tall on the podium as the world number one? Then challenge your friends to a race in the riveting Wireless Ad Hoc Mode where four players can battle it out on the tarmac for racing supremacy. What's interesting about multiplayer mode is that you can apply a number of racing aids (15 in total) including the Fair Race Skill Balancing System.

With the racing aids in place in multiplayer, those less experienced are guided through the course by a series of arrows meaning players only really need to focus on turning corners at a steady pace avoid spinning out of control and sliding across the gravel, slamming into a wall and writing off their well oiled machine.

It's a unique system that allows for balanced races between players of varying degrees of skill and is a welcome addition to a racing genre that can be a little difficult to master to begin with. Of course, once you have tamed the steel beast, simply remove the in-game stabilisers and show your friends who the real champion is!